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Types of Essays

Types of Essays

Types of Writing

There are different types of writing that one can find. The type depends largely on the purpose and what a person is trying to explain. Maybe, one of the types of writing that someone will spend most of their time on, will be story writing and, perhaps there can be different types of writing within that genre? Whatever one spends their time writing, how can one write a good piece and how can one be the best writer in general? We need to look at the different types of writing and different genres of writing when considering answers to these questions. Let's examine the many styles of writing:

  • Expository style – writing to explain or inform.
  • Narrative style – telling a sort of story, either factual or fictional.
  • Persuasive style – stating one's opinion in their writing.
  • Descriptive style – painting a picture for the audience to pick up.

So what is an essay and how can a person write one?

What is an essay?

The essay is the most common of all types of writing. It seems strange because we all know what it is and we've all had to write countless essays in our time, but what is an essay and how can one define essay in any real terms?

The essay definition in its broadest sense: “A writing piece on a particular subject or topic”.

This essay definition is subject to change and is quite general. It really depends on the types of essay subject matter. You'll be surprised how many types of essays exist and how many forms they take. From different types of expository essays to types of college essays, to essays that are just based on the narrative, there is a wide array out there to suit many purposes.

Types of Essays

For one to become a great essay writer, it is necessary to get a good grasp of all of the types of essays that are available. There are many ways to define essay writing depending on the types of essays, so let's look at all of the major kinds.

Types of Essays: Argumentative Essays

An essay, which is argumentative, takes a particular stance on a topic and so one works to defend their position on this attitude. It is highly beneficial that you choose a topic for which you're very much passionate about, so you can feel prepared to research this topic in the best way that you can, but it is not a necessity. There are numerous types of argumentative essays that one could write, based on world issues, controversial topics, people's opinions, moral dilemmas, and just about anything else where you can form a coherent argument. For example, we've come up with many types of argumentative essays that you could pursue:

  • Is the way we run our election process just and fair?
  • Can one ever accept the use of torture?
  • Men should be able to get paternity leave from their workplace.
  • Do people have a just tax system in their country?
  • We are too dependent on social media for our interaction.

Expository Essays

Often referred to as a “how to” essay, the expository essay is one of the essay types that can come confused. There are many different types of expository essays that exist but they all have the same thing in common - explaining things using facts rather than just opinions to inform the audience. Many different types of expository essays could be written, such as the following:

  • A how-to essay: describing how one can achieve something.
  • An analysis essay: Analysing different objects, events, written pieces or ideas.
  • A step-by-step essay: Writing to describe achieving a particular process.
  • Descriptive essay: Writing to explain or serve to describe certain events.

Classification Essays

When you're writing a classification essay, this is one of those types of essays that serves to arrange different ideas, people or objects that have shared characteristic information and put them into certain classes or groups. More often than not, a classification essay includes certain details, evidence, and examples that are organized together to provide the different classifications. Whatever classifications one has, these can be used to build up the body within the essay. Numerous types of an essay can be written, for example, the following:

  • The different types of infectious disease and their severity in public health.
  • The different sorts of student learning methods. Several ways to manage the environment.
  • Social media videos and the most popular kinds of them.

College Essays

The genres of writing and the styles of writing in college essays are quite dependent on the course you are taking. There are many types of college essays that could be written, yet, there are some things that are common among all of them. Take note of the following points that are useful for all college essays and all types of writing styles, whether you are studying for a medicine degree or writing a piece on an artwork.

  • Make sure you are aware of all your vocabulary and jargon.
  • Organise effectively and make use of planning.
  • Write in a style that is sophisticated and punctual.
  • Take your information from the most trusted of sources.
  • Reference correctly and keep all formatting in mind.

Types of hooks for essays

When one is writing many different types of essays, how is it possible to get a person's attention from the get-go? The key is to create a good look in your essay towards the beginning. There are so many types of hooks for essays that are utilized to serve this engaging purpose. Try to employ some of the following types of hooks for essays towards the beginning to grab attention straight away.

  • Give the reader a question that you can invite them to answer.
  • Provide your audience with an interesting statistic or fact.
  • Describe a certain incident that may dramatise your subject.
  • Make a description of the setting for your essay.
  • Relate a certain past incident in the present tense.

Good essay topics - examples

Coming up with best ideas for good essay topics often can be a challenge, even for college professors! If you're unsure of what to write, there are a few ideas that, in general, are sure to work wonders. As a pointer, you could try and address these essay types:

  • Controversial, e.g. “Animal experimentation and animal rights.”
  • About ethics, e.g. “Do the super rich have a right to deserve the things they have?”
  • About the law, e.g. “The illegality of Holocaust denial.”
  • About society, e.g. “The frameworks that exist in environmental regulations.”
  • About current affairs, e.g. “The recent Indian cow slaughter banning mandate.”

Types of essays - conclusion

No matter what types of essays you'll be writing, hopefully, this article has expanded your knowledge of the types of writing styles, different ways of writing essays and the different types of writing out there. Not to mention, there are many good essay topics that you can write and take the examples we've provided to meet your writing needs.